Understanding Diverse User Needs

Active learning works because students must experience barriers firsthand to truly grasp user needs. Simulations and role-plays create emotional connections that lectures cannot, making abstract concepts like situational disabilities tangible. These methods also mirror real-world design practices where empathy drives innovation.

• Year 8
• Technologies
• 4 activities
• 25 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze how specific physical disabilities, such as limited mobility or visual impairments, affect interaction with digital interfaces.
2. Explain the concept of situational disability and provide examples of how environmental factors can create barriers for users.
3. Evaluate the ethical implications of designing digital products without considering diverse user needs.
4. Design a simple wireframe for a digital interface that incorporates at least two principles of inclusive design.
5. Justify the inclusion of accessibility features in a digital product based on research into user needs.

Stations Rotation

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Impairment Simulations

Prepare five stations: visual (colored cellophane over screens), motor (thick gloves for typing), cognitive (time-limited tasks), auditory (headphones with noise), situational (bright lights or gloves). Groups rotate every 10 minutes, attempting interface tasks and noting barriers. Debrief as a class on findings.

Prepare & details

Analyze how different disabilities impact a user's interaction with digital interfaces.

Facilitation Tip: In Impairment Simulations, provide clear setup instructions and time limits so students focus on the experience rather than the mechanics of the simulation.

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Role Play

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Pairs: Simulated User Interviews

Pair students; one acts as a user with a specified disability (e.g., dyslexia), the other interviews about daily digital challenges. Switch roles after 10 minutes. Pairs compile notes into key needs lists for sharing.

Prepare & details

Explain the concept of 'situational disability' and its relevance to inclusive design.

Facilitation Tip: For Simulated User Interviews, assign specific roles with brief character sheets to guide students toward realistic user behaviors during the activity.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Role Play

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Small Groups: Empathy Map Creation

Groups research one disability type online, then build empathy maps covering what users say, think, do, and feel with digital tools. Include situational examples. Present maps to class for collective insights.

Prepare & details

Justify the importance of understanding diverse user needs in the design process.

Facilitation Tip: During Empathy Map Creation, require students to include at least one quote from their simulation or interview to ground their observations in evidence.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Role Play

⏱ 25 min·Whole Class

Whole Class: Situational Disability Debate

Pose scenarios like using a phone in rain; students vote and justify design adaptations. Discuss as class, compiling a shared list of inclusive features.

Prepare & details

Analyze how different disabilities impact a user's interaction with digital interfaces.

Facilitation Tip: In the Situational Disability Debate, assign roles in advance so students prepare counterarguments from different perspectives before the discussion begins.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should approach this topic by modeling empathy themselves, sharing personal experiences with situational disabilities to normalize the conversation. Avoid rushing to solutions; instead, prioritize listening and reflection. Research shows that structured peer feedback during activities improves students’ ability to articulate user needs accurately.

What to Expect

Students will demonstrate understanding by identifying barriers, proposing solutions, and reflecting on their own assumptions. They will use evidence from simulations and interviews to justify design choices. Collaboration will show they value diverse perspectives in problem-solving.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Impairment Simulations, students may assume only permanent disabilities create barriers.

What to Teach Instead

Use the simulation stations to highlight situational factors, such as time pressure or screen glare, by having students repeat tasks under modified conditions like dim lighting or one-handed typing.

Common Misconception

During Simulated User Interviews, students might think they can guess user needs without preparation.

What to Teach Instead

Require students to develop interview questions based on their simulation notes, ensuring they ask follow-up questions about specific pain points they observed.

Common Misconception

During Empathy Map Creation, students may overlook the universality of barriers.

What to Teach Instead

Have students compare their empathy maps in small groups and identify common themes to show how temporary conditions affect everyone, reinforcing the concept of situational disabilities.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After Simulated User Interviews, ask students to share one insight they gained about user needs that surprised them. Use their responses to assess whether they recognize barriers they hadn’t considered before.

Quick Check

During Impairment Simulations, circulate and ask each pair to name one barrier they encountered and one potential design fix. Collect their responses to gauge if they can link experiences to solutions.

Exit Ticket

After the Situational Disability Debate, have students write a one-sentence takeaway about how situational disabilities impact design choices. Review these to check for shifts in perspective from the start of the lesson.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students who finish early to research a digital product that successfully addresses diverse needs and prepare a 2-minute presentation on its features.
• Scaffolding: For students struggling during simulations, provide a guided reflection sheet with prompts like 'What did you notice about your interactions?' to focus their observations.
• Deeper exploration: Have students analyze a real-world website or app for accessibility barriers and redesign one feature based on their findings.

Key Vocabulary

Accessibility	The design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. It ensures that people with disabilities can use them and that they can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with them.
Cognitive Disability	A condition that affects a person's ability to learn, reason, problem-solve, or remember. This can impact how easily they can navigate complex digital interfaces or understand information.
Physical Disability	A condition that affects a person's physical functioning, such as mobility, dexterity, or stamina. This can influence how users interact with input devices or perceive visual elements.
Situational Disability	A temporary or intermittent barrier caused by a specific situation, such as using a device in bright sunlight, being in a noisy environment, or having a broken arm.
Inclusive Design	A design philosophy that aims to create products and services that are usable by as many people as possible, regardless of their age, ability, or situation.